Care Tips

The Correct Cymbal Angle

Another cymbal care tip to keep in mind is the angle of your cymbals. Make sure you are not striking your cymbals at the wrong angle; this will cause excess stress that will eventually damage your cymbal. For your crash cymbals, start with them at a 90 degree angle –from there adjust it downwards 20 or so degrees. You do not want to have it too tilted or you won’t get a powerful enough hit. Not enough angles will hurt your cymbal, as well as damage your sticks. Ride cymbals are usually thicker and can take more abuse. Besides, most rides are played with the tip of the stick, so stress is not usually a factor.

Wing Nut Tension On Your Cymbal Stand

Cymbal care regarding wing nut tension is usually overlooked by drummers. This is the screw that you tighten over top of the felt on your cymbal stand. Before I go any further; make sure you have 2 felts on each stand. One underneath and one on top of the cymbal. This is very crucial, as it will act as a cushion and absorb a lot of energy that usually harms the cymbal. With this in mind, you do not want to tighten your wing nuts to much. Cymbals emit their sound by vibrations, and if you have it on too tight, you will restrict its’ movement. A tight wing nut allows the outer edge to vibrate, while not permitting the inner bell to move at all. This causes unneeded stress to the center, which may crack your cymbal! On the flip side, too loose a wing nut will allow too much movement; which will shorten the life of a cymbal drastically. So be sure to keep them nice a snug.

Transporting and Storing Your Cymbals

Whether you’re traveling to a gig’ or storing your cymbals, remember these basic cymbal care rules. Never leave them standing upright. Cymbals that are left leaning upright will put a lot of gravitational force on the bottom, and will eventually cause warpage. Always store them laying down on a padded surface. If you are storing more than one, do not place them on top of each other unless you have a cloth like material between them. When transporting, never leave them on their stands. Cymbal bags are a must for any traveling drummer. The investment is well worth the safety for your cymbals.

There is a lot of advice on the web about cymbal cleaning, some good, but mostly bad! Some drummers love clean, shiny bronze, while others prefer the natural patina that develops on an unpolished cymbal over time. If you like them shiny, be prepared to spend a lot of time polishing. If you have vintage cymbals, they tend to be more valuable and desirable with their original patina. There are a variety of spray on cleaning products, as well as cream polishes on the market. Most cymbal manufacturers make their own proprietary cleaner that they will always recommend for their cymbals. At moorecymbals.com, we continue to be on the search for the perfect one brand fits all cymbal cleaning solution. We will list them here as we test them in our shop and give you our findings, be they good or bad! Never use an abrasive cleaning product. They are great at removing set in dirt and grime, but they are also great for taking off logos and damaging the factory lacquer coating that protects your cymbal from a worser fate! Only using cymbal cleaning product on brilliant finish cymbals, unless otherwise suggested by manufacturer. For Traditional finish or cymbals with specialty finishes, use a clean cloth and wipe with the lathing, not against.

"So far, the best cymbal cleaner I have found is made by Music Nomad. I use the cream cymbal cleaner in the shop to remove fingerprints and stick marks that can occur as we're doing our sound sample videos or when doing live demos with customers in-store. Make sure to use clean cotton rags or clean paper towels, and finish up with a dry, clean microfiber cloth or paper towel. It helps to wear clean, dry cotton gloves during this process." -Rob Arnold

From Sabian in regards to cymbal cleaning...

The best thing to use to clean all Sabian Cymbals is our “Sabian Cymbal Cleaner”. This product has been developed for use all Sabian Cymbals in both regular and brilliant finish.

Although this cleaner is logo friendly, clean over the logos only when necessary as any cleaner will remove the ink over time.

If there is heavy dirt, fingerprints, and stick marks it is best to send the cymbals in for us to clean under the Refresh Program (click HERE for more info on this).

From Zildjian in regards to cleaning Kerope Series...

This Kerope cymbal was hand-crafted in the USA and uses special processes that give this cymbal its unique character and look. Color variations, hammer marks and pitting are a normal part of this very unique cymbal. Kerope cymbals undergo a proprietary aging process that adds to their tonality and character. DO NOT CLEAN YOUR KEROPE CYMBAL USING CYMBAL CLEANER OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CLEANING PRODUCT. This may alter the finish of your Kerope in unintended ways. To maintain, please dust your Kerope with a dry cloth as needed.

From Zildjian on cleaning brilliant finished cymbals...

From Paiste in regards to cymbal usage and care...

From Meinl Cymbals in regards to cymbal cleaning...

We recommend that you use the Meinl Cymbal cleaner for the best results when cleaning Meinl Cymbals. The Meinl Cymbal Cleaner is a premium concentrated liquid cleaner. It is designed for regular and brilliant finish cymbals. Simply spray onto the surface and then wipe it off to restore the cymbals’ original shine. Once applied to the cymbal, please allow 15-20 seconds to work.

To restore the shiny finish on our cymbals that have a brilliant finish (MB20, Byzance Brilliant, Soundcaster Fusion, Soundcaster Custom, MB10, Candela) we recommend the Meinl Cymbal Polish. Once applied to the cymbal please allow 15-20 seconds to work.

We also offer a Meinl Cymbal Protectant which, when applied evenly on traditional and brilliant finished cymbals, shield them from discoloration, dirt, dust, etc. Once applied onto the cymbal, allow the protectant 15-20 seconds to work. However, do not allow the protectant to dry on the surface of the cymbal.